


Love is found in the Lebanon corner store, aisle 6

by Beelzebub_fuckers



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Awkward Romance, Boys In Love, Cute Jack Kline, Everyone Is Gay, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, Lebanon Kansas (Supernatural), M/M, Men of Letters Bunker (Supernatural), No Sex, Protective Dean Winchester, Slow Burn, Small Towns, Teen Romance, They are children NO SEX, Tik Tok, Young Love, no beta we die like dean, this is my passion project, three dads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 12:28:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30089109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beelzebub_fuckers/pseuds/Beelzebub_fuckers
Summary: Connor works at the corner store. His quiet nights at work are interrupted by Jack Kline, a sweet boy with an exciting life. Follow their relationship as it develops.Character belonging to Tik Tok user crabsmasher and completely inspired by her.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Jack Kline/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 185





	Love is found in the Lebanon corner store, aisle 6

Lebanon, Kansas was the center of the USA. But not a center of activity by any means. It used to be a minor tourist attraction when people took cross-country trips. But when the interstate highway gave people faster, more direct routes across the country what activity they had went away. It had a small population of mostly farmers, no school, and a corner store where people could fill up on gas and get junk food and beer. Mostly beer. The small town lacked a proper liquor store so every alcoholic staggered their way into the Lebanon corner store to get their fix of cheap alcohol. Connor dealt with a lot of that. He was the night shift at the 24-7 corner store of Lebanon.

He was one of the few people his age left in town. Most of the population was aging. The younger residents left for bigger cities where there were things to do, clubs to go to, people to fuck. Connor remained only because of his gig as a hunter. Towns like Lebanon were perfect. There was a reason hunters didn’t live in big cities. Nobody asked questions in Lebanon. Nobody lived close enough to their little ranch to hear the shrieks of demons being exorcised. Nobody noticed anything strange. 

Connor was content with his life, despite its lack of activity. He didn’t have friends, but hunters didn’t have those anyway. He’d never had a boyfriend, but his Pa would probably kick his ass if he ever brought a boy home. Isolation was something everyone could relate to in Lebanon. 

The corner store wasn’t such a bad job. He got to drink all the slushees he wanted and knew everyone in town by name. There were newspapers that he could read through and a radio he could listen to. Sometimes he even got to meet the interesting characters you sometimes found in small towns like this. 

Enter Jack Kline. 

It had been a normal night at the Lebanon corner store. Connor was on the stool behind the register reading the daily newspaper, leaning back against the shelves that had the cigarettes with his feet propped up on the faded blue counter when the bell above the door jingled. 

“Welcome to the Lebanon corner store, my name is Connor,” Connor said automatically, “is there anything I can do for...”

There was a young man standing in the doorway. A young man was already a surprise. With blond hair and blue eyes and a permanent smile on his face. He instantly reminded Connor of a golden retriever, friendly and energetic and innocent. 

Connor set down his newspaper. 

“Hello!” The boy said. “I’m looking for nougat and beer.”

Nougat? Connor raised a brow as he appraised the young man in the doorway. He didn’t look to be older than seventeen and his demeanor was that of a particularly sheltered child. Was he old enough to buy beer? 

“Candy can be found under the counter, beer in the fridges in the back, aisle six.”

The young man gave Connor a particularly sunny smile and a bright “thank you!” Connor’s eyes followed him as he walked to the beer case. 

The man returned quickly with four cases of beer, which he set down on the counter. “Please give me a moment while I select my nougat.”

“No problem.” Connor replied easily. Nobody else was here. 

The boy knelt and sat on the floor. His brow furrowed as he examined their candy selection. He looked at the nougat like it was the most important decision he could make. Connor glanced at the clock, watching moments turn to minutes. Minutes turn into ten minutes. 

“Are you okay?” Connor asked finally. “You’ve been staring at that nougat for ten minutes. Without blinking. Are you okay?”

The boy looked up at Connor with unfocused eyes. “Huh? Oh, yes. There is nothing wrong.” 

“Are you sure? You look dazed. We have coffee. I can get you a coffee on the house.” He offered. 

“No, coffee does not affect me.”

Connor smiled. “I’m the same way.”

“I like your hair.” The boy said suddenly.

Connor startled at that. A hand reached up to touch the ends of his long hair. It was brown, curly, and reached past his shoulders. The aging conservative population of town often gave it looks of disapproval. “Oh, thanks. I refuse to cut it.”

He beamed at that. “Like Sam!”

“Sam?” 

“My dad.” The boy said casually. “One of them.”

“One of them.” Connor repeated incredulously. “Okay. Well, you know you can pick out more than one thing. If you’re having trouble deciding what candy you want you can take several.”

“I can?!” The boy exclaimed. He looked amazed, like the thought had never occurred to him. He began shoveling nougat into the bag he’d brought with him. Connor watched in shocked silence as the kid cleared them out of their entire nougat selection. 

The boy nodded his approval at his now full bag of nougat. He looked up at Connor, who was seriously starting to wonder if this was some kind of dream. “Do you have any owl skulls?”

“Owl skulls?” He repeated. “I don’t think so. But I can check the back for you.”

“That would be great, thanks.”

Of course they didn’t have owl skulls. But going to the back would give Connor some time to regroup. He shut the door behind him and let the breath he’d been holding go. 

That kid was so damn weird. And cute. He felt weird calling him “the kid” or “the boy” in his mind constantly. He’d have to ask for his name. Maybe his number. Casual though. Connor had accepted long ago that he was the only gay guy in miles. Miles of wheat fields and conservatives who didn’t take too kindly to people like him. Then again, the kid mentioned having several dads. It was possible that his parents had been divorced and remarried. Or it was possible that he was no longer the only gay guy in miles. 

Connor re-emerged after what he deemed an appropriate amount of time. “No owl skulls, sorry.”

The boy made a small noise of disappointment. 

“Sorry, I don’t mean to pry, but can I ask what your name is?”

“Oh! Jack. Jack Kline. Or maybe Jack Winchester.”

Winchester sounded familiar. “Are your dads those three guys? The handsome guy, the really tall guy, and the tax accountant?”

“I think so. Sam is very tall, Dean is very handsome, I don’t think Castiel is a tax accountant though.” Jack said with a confused expression. “They’re hunters.”

“Hunters.” Connor repeated. He couldn’t tell if Jack meant deer or demons. It was usually safe to assume in this part of the country that the locals hunted wild turkey. But Jack’s dads seemed like the type to hunt Wendigos.

“Yes! You’re a hunter too.” Jack said excitedly.

Okay. So he meant demon hunter. 

“Right.” He wasn’t even going to ask how Jack knew that. “Well, the nougat and beer is on the house. Actually, if you give me your number I’ll text you when we restock.”

Jack lit up like a kid on Christmas. “Really? Wow, okay. Do you have a paper and a pen for me to write with?”

Connor just gave him a piece of his newspaper and one of the cheap ballpoints they had. Jack wrote down his number and gave it back to Connor. 

“Thanks. Have a nice night.”

“You too!” Jack picked up his cases of beer and his bag stuffed with candy and walked out of the corner store. The bell jingled again, signaling his exit. Connor watched him disappear into the night. 

Hopefully he’d be back soon. 

* * *

The next time Jack came to the corner store was a few nights later. They hadn’t restocked on nougat yet. It took a while for anything new to come into town. He walked in wearing a pair of cowboy boots. They looked out of place on the scrawny teenager. “Nice boots.” Connor said. 

“Thank you.” Jack said proudly. “My dad got them for me.”

“Which dad would this be?”

“Dean.” 

Dean. Connor remembered a Dean. The handsome one with the classic car. He made a point of irritating the tall one. He cracked a lot of jokes and talked loudly. 

“What are you looking for this time?” Connor asked.

“More beer. And pie. Do you have pie by any chance?”

“No pie. This is a corner store.” Connor said. “But we have packaged pastries. With apple in them.” 

Jack furrowed his brow while he tried to decide whether that was an appropriate substitute or not. “I’ll take them.” Jack decided. 

Connor stepped out from behind the counter. It would be better to just show Jack where it was. Otherwise he might end up like he had looking at the nougat. Aisle two, convenience food. Bags of chips and Oreos and other food meant for the road. There were boxes of Drake’s fruit pies under the granola bars. Not much of a pie in Connor’s opinion. They were like encrustables. Ravioli style pastry surrounding shitty fruit filling. But Jack’s eyes lit up at the word “pie” on the package. 

“Oh, you do have pie! Good. Dean will be so happy.”

Connor cringed. He couldn’t imagine Dean would be pleased at this subpar pie substitute. But he somehow doubted Jack would understand why even if he tried to explain it. So he let Jack pick out the cherry and apple varieties of the pastries. 

Jack turned his big puppy dog eyes towards Connor once again. “You didn’t text me. No more nougat?” 

“Not yet. It takes forever for anything to restock here. It’s pretty far from anywhere important.” Connor explained. 

Jack seemed to accept that explanation. “Then I need beer and medical supplies. Do you have medical supplies?”

“Yes.” He answered. “But our variety is kind of limited. What do you need, exactly?”

“I don’t know. Bandages?” Jack looked confused again. He seemed to have two facial expressions. Puppy sunshine smile and confused blank stare. 

“Well, your dads are hunters, right?” Jack nodded. “Probably a bit of everything we have. We have over the counter pain killers, bandages, and hydrocortisone. The kind of injuries they get need better supplies but they’re probably pretty good at making do with whatever junk they’ve got in the car.”

“Yes! Dean keeps alcohol in the car that nobody’s allowed to drink because he pours it on wounds.”

Yeah. Hunters would do that. “Medical supplies are in aisle three. Next to the pregnancy tests.”

Jack followed Connor obediently and let Connor help him pick out his medical supplies. Connor explained to him the difference between Advil and Tylenol and recommended he take Advil for it’s ability to combat inflammation. Jack loaded up on bandages and anything else Connor recommended. By the end he was carrying three full bags. 

“You gonna be okay carrying those home?” Connor asked uncertainly. 

“Yes! I’m very strong.”

Connor eyed the beanpole frame before him. Yeah right. But Jack seemed to have no issue carrying the bags. He wasn’t straining or struggling. There was no tremble in his shoulders or furrowed brow. No indication that the cargo was any tax on his strength. 

“Okay. That’ll be $58.69.” 

Jack paid for the goods with a card that was definitely fraudulent. Connor swiped it anyway without a care in the world. Jack smiled once more and took his goods to go. 

“I’ll tell you when we restock on nougat. Promise.” Connor said just before Jack left. 

The kid beamed and walked into the night. 

Connor was missing him already. 

* * *

A very tall man walked in the next night. He had hair down to his chin, a flannel under a jacket on, and a pair of jeans that had seen better days. Connor instantly recognized him as one of Jack’s dads. 

“Hey, you’re Sam aren’t you?”

Sam instantly turned and pointed at himself, as if to say,  _who, me_? Connor nodded. 

“Yeah. You’re Connor, right? Connor from the corner store. Jack mentions you.”

“Yes, sir. Knowing Jack has been a pleasure.” 

“You’re pretty young. Do you go to school?”

“Yeah, local community college.” Community college was miles away. But he made the trip in his banged up Saturn in between hunting jobs and shifts at the corner store. His Pa didn’t see much use in a hunter getting an education. But Connor wanted something to fall back on if this all went to shit. 

Sam nodded his approval. “That’s great. Kids should be educated. I went to Stanford Law.”

“ _ You _ went to law school.” Connor said disbelievingly. Sam wasn’t a bad guy, but he didn’t look like law school material. He looked like a guy who’d seen a lot of shit and had been hunting for too many years. Then he realized he probably came across as rude with his tone. He backtracked. “No offense, sir. You just don’t look the type.”

Sam shrugged. “Well after my dad went missing Dean dragged me out of college to look for him. Then I opened the gates of hell, had psychic powers, got possessed by Lucifer, and everything only got worse from there.”

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah. Which is why I’m here to pick up some beer.” Sam joked. 

“Ye-yeah. Aisle six.” Sam deserved the beer. He grabbed his cases and brought them up front to pay for them. 

“So, you’re a hunter.” It wasn’t a question. “You doing school to get out?”

“No, sir. I’ve never stopped hunting. My whole family is in it. I just want a plan B.”

Sam nodded again. “You’re a good kid.”

“Thank you sir.” 

Sam paid with a stolen credit card and took his Lite beer out to the classic car waiting for him. Connor felt jealous every time he saw that car. 

He hoped the nougat came in soon. 

* * *

His prayers were answered a few days later. He was tearing open boxes and stocking shelves. Normal stuff. Beer to feed Lebanon and the Winchesters. Chips, lighters, cigarettes. When he stumbled across the box full of the new nougat. 

A surge of unbidden excitement shot through Connor like a bullet. He jumped right over the box and ran to the counter to grab his phone. He texted Jack to tell him about their new shipment of his favorite candy. To his delight he instantly agreed to come over and check it out. It was way past midnight. 1:20 am. But Jack didn’t seem to sleep, showing up at odd, irregular hours at night. Never tired or sluggish at all. He probably had a caffeine habit. Although he never even looked at their selection of shitty energy drinks. 

Jack arrived twenty minutes later with his characteristic sunny smile. Connor hadn’t even bothered putting the candy on the shelves. Jack might just haul the whole box home. 

“You texted me.” Jack said it like it was the most wonderful thing in the world. 

Connor nodded. “I said I would. We got nougat.”

“You can text me when there isn’t candy.” Jack said. “I like talking to you.”

“Okay.” Connor certainly wasn’t in a position to turn down offers of friendship. He lifted the box and put it on the counter. “This is what we have.”

Jack examined the contents. He frowned at the packaging of a new variety they’d shipped in. “Raspberry?” 

“Yeah. Nougat sometimes has candied fruit in it.” Connor shifted the packages around. “I think there’s also blueberry almond in here. Hold on.”

“I’ve never had a raspberry.” Jack admitted. 

Connor looked up at the boy incredulously. 

“You’ve never had a raspberry?”

The boy shook his head. Connor couldn’t believe it. 

“Honestly, what have you been doing with your life?” He pulled the raspberry variety out and began to unwrap it. “This is a poor substitute for a real, fresh raspberry in my opinion. But it’s a start. Try it.”

Jack took the offered candy bar and bit off a generous piece. His face was twisted with curiosity. Connor leaned forward on his elbows to watch the kid eat. After several moments he swallowed what was in his mouth. 

“So?”

Jack contemplated his next words. “Tangy?”

“Yeah, that’s tang.” Connor confirmed. “Also sweet. Fresh raspberries are soft and juicy. They burst in your mouth. You should try them. I think you’d like it.”

Jack nodded. “That was cool.”

“I’m glad you thought so. So what do you wanna get?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to see you.”

Connor raised a brow. “Really? No candy? Beer? You were really excited about the nougat the first time you came around.”

“I was more excited to meet you.”

Connor couldn’t keep the blush off his face. He turned away to try and keep Jack from seeing, but he doubted it worked. 

“Alright.” He finally said, trying to keep the shake out of his voice. “But you should probably buy something anyway. Give your parents an excuse as to why you’re here so late.”

“Then I guess I’ll take this raspberry stuff!” Jack decided. “But can I stay with you for a while before I go?”

Again Connor thought his heart was doing to burst. “...sure. This is a public place. You won’t catch me stopping you.”

The smile Jack gave him Connor would remember forever. 

* * *

Connor rolled up to the corner store for his shift on time. Eight p.m. He groaned as his Saturn lurched to a stop in his parking spot. He pressed a little too hard on the breaks a little too suddenly. His head spun as he put it into park and climbed out. He had just finished getting his ass beat by a werewolf down in Phillips county. He thought he might have a minor concussion, which meant he probably shouldn’t have been driving. But he didn’t have a lot of options. At least he was in his hometown now. And the corner store had medical supplies. 

Connor shoved his way inside and went to aisle three. His jeans were tattered and bloodstained. But he had a spare pair in the trunk of his car. He hissed painfully through his teeth while he unbuckled the belt and pushed them to the floor. The werewolf had torn his thighs up with her claws. Bruises blossomed over his ribs under his jacket and his back definitely had road rash from being dragged over that gravel. He winced at the memory. He grabbed a bottle of Advil and broke the safety seal with his teeth. He swallowed three pills dry and breathed raggedly, trying to work through the pain. First aid. He had to wash these wounds. 

They didn’t have any alcohol suitable for this job. So Connor just grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler and poured it over every open wound. The cold soothed and stung in equal measure. He limped about the corner store, dripping blood all over the linoleum as he picked up bandages and nail clippers and anything else that might help. He tied up the clean cotton around his thighs. Whimpering into his shoulder with every touch to his fresh injuries. He didn’t even know how he’d deal with the scrapes on his back. They hurt like a mother. Eventually Connor decided on grabbing one of those big ten pound bags of ice and put it up against the counter for him to lean on. So Connor sat on the floor, trying to deal with his cuts and bruises when the door jingled open. 

Connor froze like a deer in the headlights. He prayed that it wasn’t Mr. Jenkins or some little old lady seeing him torn up on the floor with no pants on. He hesitated to look up for a moment or two, only to meet Jack’s eyes when he did. 

The boy was watching Connor silently. Looking at his bloody thighs with golden eyes that glowed like embers. Connor’s breath hitched at the sight. Power radiated off of the usually goofy kid. Gone was the nougat-loving boy who went on beer runs for his dads. In front of Connor was a mysterious creature he was appraising his vulnerability. 

All of his weapons were behind the counter. If Jack decided to attack now Connor was done for. 

Jack approached silently, causing Connor to panic. He attempted to flinch back only to groan with the sharp pain that caused his back. Jack paid no mind to any of that, reaching out two fingers to Connor’s sweating face. 

In one touch all the pain and aches dissipated. Connor felt like his body lit up from the inside. Flames spreading from his core outwards, energy buzzed under his skin, and he breathed in the power of Jack. 

When Jack finally pulled his hand away Connor’s face was wet with tears. He wiped them away, embarrassed at his reaction. His body still trembled with the residual power Jack had sent through him. He had never encountered anything like that in his life. 

“What the hell are you?” The words were out of Connor’s mouth before he could think about them, suffused with fear. 

“I’m a Nephilim.” Jack said, his head tilted curiously. “That’s not a bad thing.”

Connor’s head, though no longer concussed, spun with confusion. An angel? Jack was an angel? Or at least part angel. 

“You are not wearing any pants.” Jack pointed out. 

Connor felt like his face was on fire he was blushing so hard. He shoved his way past Jack and scrambled out to his car, where he opened the trunk and pulled out his spare pair of jeans. The chilly night air sent goosebumps racing up his bare legs. Jack watched through the glass door as Connor jumped around the parking lot like an idiot, in his boxers, shoving his legs through his pants. 

He came back into the store fully dressed and completely humiliated. Jack was just standing there, waiting. 

Connor cleared his throat, trying to cough away the tightness in his vocal cords. “So... what did you come here for?”

“Beer.” Jack said. 

Connor rolled his eyes. “Of course. I think the town’s alcohol consumption has doubled since your dads started living here. Dean is definitely an alcoholic.”

Jack didn’t comment. He was still watching Connor like he was expecting something. 

“What?” He asked, a bit snappish. He felt self conscious about what Jack saw. Sue him. 

“I was scared when I saw your injuries.” Jack said, so straightforward that it shocked Connor into stillness. “You were hurt. I worry about your safety. Sam and Dean too. I worry about you getting hurt. I can’t stop you from hunting, or being hurt. But I can heal you when it’s over.”

Connor stuttered. Jack’s big earnest eyes looked huge under the shitty incandescent lights. Big and honest and blue. Connor remembered the burning golden eyes from before. He’d never forget  _ that _ as long as he lived. 

“I think that’s the most serious I’ve ever heard you.”

Jack smiled, the big sunny smile Connor was familiar with. “Well, you’re very serious to me!” 

Damn. He got butterflies in his stomach when he saw that smile. 

“Let’s get you that beer.” Connor looked at the bloody floors with a sigh. He’d have to clean that up pretty soon. “And get you home to your dads.”

Connor helped Jack pay for his beer, he’d gotten much better at actually paying for his items, and watched him walk off into the night. He absentmindedly ran his hands over the places where his bruises were as he tore the now useless bandages off. A Nephilim. A real half-angel. This was probably the most interesting thing to happen in Lebanon since it’s founding. He threw his ruined pants in the garbage and started mopping the blood off the floor while memories of glowing golden eyes danced in his vision. 

* * *

Connor was lost in thought. He was thinking about Jack and the candy they’d be getting in soon. He wanted to introduce the kid to some new candy. He wasn’t limited to just nougat. In Connor’s opinion you hadn’t lived until you’d tried butterfingers. Jack would probably like them. He was so lost in thought he didn’t notice that somebody had entered his store until a pair of calloused hands slammed on the faded blue counter. 

“Oh! Sorry, welcome to the Lebanon corner store, my name is Connor, how can I help you?”

“Falling asleep on the job?” The man snarled. 

It was Dean. Though a lot angrier than usual. This was the first time Connor remembered being addressed directly by Dean. He usually just paid and left without giving any mind to the kid behind the counter. 

“No, sir. Sorry about that.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s cut to the chase. You know who I am.”

Of course he did. Him and his husband/brother stood out like a sore thumb in this boring town. He didn’t say that. Instead he feigned ignorance. “I think you’re a hunter. I mean, I’ve seen you around town.”

“You know who I am. You’ve been making eyes at my kid.”

Making eyes? Connor didn’t think he’d been that obvious. Or that creepy. Sure, he was interested in Jack, but he’d never made his feelings obvious to the kid. He wasn’t even sure Jack would get it if he  _ did _ make it obvious. Connor didn’t say that either. 

“I’m just a friend, sir. And a corner store worker.” Connor replied. 

Dean leaned over the counter, looking seriously into Connor’s eyes. “Listen to me, you son of a bitch.” He whispered. “I don’t know you, I don’t know what you’re doing talking to my kid. But you better stop.”

Connor was abruptly reminded of Susan Darling and her father. Before Connor took Susan to prom her father pulled him aside and threatened to blast him with his shotgun if he didn’t have his little girl home by eight. Dean was like a rabid, overprotective father with a pretty daughter. So much so that Connor had to bite his lip to hold back a smile. 

“Just know that I’m a good hunter. I’ve averted the apocalypse. Several times. I’ve fought Lucifer. I’ve done things your scrawny young ass can’t even dream of. And if anything ever happens to Jack I will use all of my skills to hunt you down and kill you with my hands. I saved the world. Get it? But I will end yours if you hurt my son.”

“Okay, sir.” Connor said. “Is there anything else you need today?”

“Six cases of beer.” 

Connor pointed to aisle six. Dean already knew where the alcohol was. He squinted menacingly at Connor one more time before stalking off to grab his alcohol. He rang the hunter up, sorted out his change, and bid him a good day. Dean left in his sweet car, dust hung in the air where his wheels kicked it up. 

Connor smiled to himself. He was a good dad. A bit unreasonable, but caring. He doted on Jack and cared about his feelings. That was a lot more than Connor could say about his own Pa. Jack was lucky. 

He thought about prom while he restocked the beer. He never got the opportunity to go with who he’d really wanted to go with at the time, a cute boy in his math class named James. Maybe someday he could go dancing with Jack. 

It was a nice thought.  


* * *

July nights were hot in Kansas. The air refused to cool long after the sun went down. Cooler air from the east shook the prairie grass and the wheat fields, sending ripples across the Kansas horizon. Moths fluttered around the neon signs in their window. Connor sat with his newspaper behind the counter. It was a boring night. Jack hadn’t visited for several days. Connor wondered if that had anything to do with Dean’s previous visit. He sighed, snapping his gum in his mouth. 

He was so bored. 

The bell above the door jingled. 

“Welcome to the Lebanon corner store.” Connor greeted flatly. “I’m Connor. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Connor!”

His newspaper folded down in his hands so that he could properly look at Jack. The kid was beaming ear to ear. Dimples and everything. 

“Hey, it’s been a while.” Connor said casually, like his hands weren’t shaking. 

“Yeah. Dean didn’t want me to come here for a while. But Castiel said that I’m allowed to have friends and that you’re a good kid. So I was allowed to come see you!”

Connor was hit with the image of Castiel, the stern wife, glowering at his husband and urging him to be reasonable. Dean, working on the car or drinking a beer scowls and mumbles something about the innocence of his little boy. But that was all wild speculation. And a lot of his own sense of humor. He smiled at Jack. 

“Well I’m glad to see you again.”

“I brought you a gift!” Jack announced. He was bouncing on his heels in his excitement. 

“I’d love to see it.” Connor said. Jack slid his gift across the counter. Connor picked it up for examination. “It’s a Pokémon card.”

“It’s a Pikachu card.”

Connor’s heart melted. “You’re right. Um, thank you. I love it.”

Jack’s smile was all the sweeter for it. 

“Hey.” Connor blurted out. “Do you want to hang out on Sunday?”

“This Sunday?” If Jack smiled any wider he’d strain a muscle. “I would love to! I’ll have to ask my dads. But I’m sure they’ll say yes!”

Connor smiled. Maybe Sam and Castiel would. Dean would probably come down to the corner store and spit curses at Connor over the counter. It wouldn’t be a date. Not really. It was stupid. Even if it wasn’t really a date, Connor could wish. And he could hang out with his friend like a normal kid. Totally platonic. 

“Actually we can hang before my shift. How about noon on Sunday?”

“Noon, Sunday. Sounds super cool!” Jack practically skipped towards the door. “I’m gonna go tell my dads! They’ll be so excited!”

Jack ran off as quick as he came, leaving Connor to return to his newspaper. 

He was looking forward to Sunday. 

* * *

Connor rolled up to Jack’s address Sunday at 11:45. He was expecting a ranch or a trailer or something. Instead he was greeted with what looked to be an abandoned factory. If it was anyone else Connor would worry that he’d been tricked. But Jack was to earnest to prank him this cruelly. Sure enough, Jack came out of a door set into a slope. He ran up the concrete steps with a big grin on his face. Sam and Dean followed after their son. Connor had the sense to step out of the car to greet them. 

“Good morning, sir. Hey, Jack.”

Jack launched himself into Connor’s arms. He stumbled back into his car. Jack was a  _ lot _ heavier than his skinny little frame looked. Connor groaned under the weight. 

Dean was giving Connor’s hair a disdainfulglare. He’d pulled it back into a bun. He usually let it hang loose but decided maybe it would make a better impression pulled back. No such luck. His dress was casual. Instead of the Lebanon corner store polo Jack always saw him in he was wearing a black thermal shirt and a pair of his better jeans. Something Connor thought he looked attractive in but still casual. 

Jack finally let him go. Connor’s spine was rather relieved that it didn’t have to hold his weight anymore. 

“You ready to go?” Connor asked.

“So ready!”

“Hold your horses.” Dean said. “Have him home before sundown. Don’t take him out of town, no funny businesses. Keep your hands to yourself.”

“Dean, this isn’t a date.” Sam chastised. He winked at Connor with the side of his face Dean couldn’t see before handing Jack a wad of money. “Have fun, okay kid?”

“Thank you Sam.” Jack said happily. 

Dean gave Jack a pat on the back and Connor one last good glare and let them get in the car. Jack waved energetically while Connor drove away and continued to wave until Sam and Dean were no longer in sight. 

Jack turned to his friend then. “So, what are we going to do today?”

“Well, there’s not much to do in town. There’s no local restaurant, no movie theater, nothing cool.” There’s a reason why all the young people moved out of town right after high school. “So I figured we’d have to make our own fun.”

“I always have fun with you.” Jack said. 

Connor’s heart fluttered in his chest. “Yeah, well since we’re not going to be sitting around the corner store I figured we could make the most of the limited things we can do in town. What we do have is a grocery store and a lot of prairie land. So we can go shopping and have a picnic. If that’s okay with you.”

“That sounds so fun.” 

Jack was smiling and kicking his feet. Wheat fields sped by outside the window. Country played quietly on the radio. Jack reached over and turned the volume up. “I love Dolly Parton.” He said. 

“I can believe that.” Dolly Parton wasn’t the worst thing they played on the radio in this town. Not by far. They listened happily to Dolly while the dirt road passed beneath their tires. 

The grocery store was ten miles out from Jack’s house. It was an aging building built after the war. Everything about its appearance fit in with it’s post war roots. The only changes made over the years was an out of place light up sign in the small parking lot, the automatic doors installed in the 70’s, and the shopping carts they’d replaced in the 80’s. It was old, but it was functional. Everything in Lebanon was. Connor stepped out of the car, Jack followed quickly. 

“What kind of food do you like? All I’ve ever seen you show interest in is candy.”

Jack looked unsure. “Dean makes a lot of hot dogs.”

Connor smiled. “Well, that’s not a good picnic choice. But that’s okay. We can introduce you to new things.”

The store was set up to take you through it in a counter-clockwise path. First through the produce section, then through the aisles, and back towards the refrigerated cases where they had dairy products, eggs, cold cuts, and juice. Connor picked up a basket for gathering what they needed. Fruit seemed like a safe bet for a picnic.

“Have you ever tried fruit?” Connor felt ridiculous asking a question like that out loud. But Jack had never had a raspberry before.Who knows what he ate. 

“I had peaches out of a can once.” Jack said. “I liked them very much.”

“Good, that’s a start.” It was peach season. All through the summer peaches were available in the store. He put a couple in their basket to start with.

“Alright. Maybe some snackable vegetable. Have you ever tried baby carrots?”

Jack shook his head. Connor added them to the basket. 

The next section was bread. Connor added a loaf of bread to the basket. They’d get cold cuts later. “How often do Nephilim eat, anyway?” He asked, deciding to make conversation.

“Whenever we want. But I only  _ need _ to eat once a month. I used to eat less, but Dean likes having dinner as a family.”

“Hence the hotdogs.” Connor guessed. “Food is one of the better things about life as a human. You should try a lot more of it.”

“I like candy.” Jack said.

“Yeah. A lot of people do.” He threw a big of chips in their basket. “I guess it doesn’t matter, because you’re a Nephilim? But humans aren’t supposed to eat excessive amounts of candy.”

“What are those?” 

“Corn chips.” Connor replied. 

“Oh! Wow. Dean made corn. He just boiled it whole.”

“Yeah, that’s corn on the cob. But there’s a lot of ways you can eat corn.” Connor had learned a long time ago that Jack liked having mundane things explained to him. “You can boil it or turn it into tortillas. Some people cream it, although I hate that. And you can grind it up and make it into chips. Actually, a lot of candy has corn in it. They make it into a syrup somehow and that’s really sweet. So it’s used like sugar sometimes.”

Jack’s eyes sparkled. “That’s so cool. I want to try all the corn.”

“Well, let’s start with corn chips then.”

Jack agreed. Now Connor was putting turkey cold cuts and a bottle of lemonade into their basket. “Okay. I think this is enough for a picnic. The sandwiches are going to be kind of simple but that’s okay. Oh, do you need to wear sunscreen?”

Jack tilted his head. “What is sunscreen?” 

“Okay, we’ll put it on you just in case.” Connor grabbed a bottle of sunscreen from the next aisle. 

They paid for their haul, loaded their groceries into plastic bags, and took them out to the car. Connor already knew where they were having their picnic. There was a field on the edge of town with no farmland. It was covered in tall grass and wildflowers. Next to the field was a patch of cedar trees and a creek. It was a great place for a date like this. 

Connor shook himself out of those thoughts. This  _ wasn’t  _ a date. He was hanging out with his friend. And going on a picnic. 

He let Jack play with the radio while he drove them to the field. Wind ruffled their hair from the open window. The air smelled like flowering plants from the meadows. The plastic bags rustled in the wind. Farmland disappeared and all that was left was the wide open prairie. Connor saw the stand of trees that was by the creek. The bridge over the creek on the road was what separated Lebanon from the next town over. Connor rolled straight off the road and parked the car in the grass. 

“This is it.” 

Jack was staring out the window. Just looking at the landscape. There was a fascination, but also a familiarity. 

“What do you see?” Connor asked. 

“This field is full of goldenrod.” Jack said, pointing at the yellow flowers that dotted the landscape. “Good for pollinators. There’s milkweed too. A lot of it. Butterflies love that. Look at the butterflies.”

Jack was right. The field was full of butterflies. Orange monarchs and black swallowtails and many others Connor couldn’t name. Jack’s looked content to stare at them forever. 

“Do you want to go outside to look at them?”

Jack nodded. Connor got out of the car and got the groceries and picnic blanket. He flattened a patch of grass and spread the blanket over it for them to sit on. Then he gestured towards Jack. 

His friend instantly got out of the car, slowly, never once taking his eyes off the butterflies. Connor untied the bread bag and began making plain cold cut sandwiches while Jack entertained himself with the butterflies. 

“Do you know a lot about pollinators?” Connor asked. 

“Just what my dad told me.”

He offered Jack a sandwich. “Which dad would that be?”

Jack took it. “Castiel. He used to keep bees. He’s still fond of them. He told me about bees and the flowers they like. And butterflies.”

Connor nodded. “Tell me about them.”

Jack’s face lit up with excitement. Connor’s heart lit up with affection. He was happy he’d asked. 

“Well that’s the black swallowtail. But over there is the giant swallowtail. You can tell the difference because of the differing wing shapes, the shades of yellow, and of course the size difference. But over there is the small copper. See the orange one?” Jack told him about all the butterflies in the field. Which ones fed on milkweed and which didn’t. He shrieked with laughter when a particularly fat bumblebee buzzed around their heads. They fed on peaches and lemonade and soaked in the sun. While Connor laid down on the blanket to listen to the birds singing Jack wove goldenrod into his hair. 

“I like turkey.” Jack said after finishing his sandwich. A crown of common mallow and wild begonia sat tilted in his blond hair. 

“Well, that sandwich wasn’t the best. Didn’t have any condiments or vegetables. Next time I’ll make sandwiches at home and bring better ones.” Connor promised. 

“They were good. I liked them plain.”

“Oh! I forgot to put sunscreen on!” Connor cursed under his breath. “Here, you too. Hold out your hand.”

Connor squirted a pile of the lotion into his friends hand before applying it to himself. Rubbing it over his exposed hands, neck, ears, and face. When he looked back to Jack the Nephilim was staring at the sunscreen in his hand incredulously. 

“Do you not know how to put sunscreen on?”

Jack shrugged. “I’ve never really had to?”

Connor smiled. “Alright. Come here. This is an important skill, so pay attention.” He transferred the lotion from Jack’s hand to his. “Now if you were a human, prolonged exposure to the sun would burn it. That’s obviously painful but it can also cause damage and disease long term. So you put this on to protect it.”

Jack tilted his head curiously. “What about this cream protects the skin?”

“Some ingredient they put in it. I don’t really know. But it’s measured in SPF. so this is SPF 50.”

Jack still didn’t seem to understand. But he either didn’t know what to ask or didn’t deem it important. He watched Connor smooth sunscreen on his skin. Rubbing it up his arms and across his exposed collarbone. He lifted his arm up to his nose and smelled it. 

“This smells.” Jack said. 

“Smells bad?”

“No. Just smells.”

Connor nodded. “Yeah, it does. But it’s important. Now you have to cover all exposed skin. Even what you might forget about. Like the back of your neck.”

Jack leaned forward into Connor’s personal space. Connor had a visceral reaction to Jack’s face being so close to his own. He hesitated for just a moment too long, making Jack look up questioningly. 

“Sorry. Sorry. Just... yeah.”

_ Get a grip _ . Connor chastised himself. This was just friendly help for a guy who knew nothing about putting on sunscreen. He reached around Jack’s neck and slathered the skin with sunscreen, making sure to get the parts of his back that might be exposed by a loose shirt collar. 

“What else?” He asked. 

Connor swallowed his nerves. “Your ears. And face.”

“Okay. Do those!”

“...okay.”

Rubbing sunscreen over Jack’s ears was easy enough. Even though touching Jack’s skin was making Connor a little too excited. Then all that was left was his face. 

“Alright. Close your eyes.”

Jack’s eyes dropped closed without question. Blond eyelashes fanned out over rosy cheeks and cast soft shadows in the sunlight. He was so close that Connor could see every detail in his face. Could feel his soft breaths blowing over his chin. 

He was struck with the sudden urge to kiss him. 

Strong though it was Connor ignored it. He spread his hands over Jack’s cheeks. Over the bridge of his nose. Swiped across his forehead. Covering his entire face with a thin layer of sunscreen. 

“There you go. You can open your eyes now.” Connor said quietly. 

Jack blinked. Up close Connor could see the many different shades of blue that wove together to make up his irises. They really were very pretty. 

“Thank you for helping me.”

“No problem.” Connor said. 

“What do we do know?”

Hours had passed. Where had all the hours gone? The sun was still in the sky, but not quite so high as it had been. Connor glanced at his watch and saw that they’d been watching the butterflies for three hours. 

“God. Time flies.” Connor said to himself. “Do you want to check out the creek? Have you ever been to a creek?”

“When I was young, I think.” Jack said. “But I’d love to go with you.”

Connor once again ignored the butterflies in his stomach. “Well, there’s one over there. Shaded in the trees. Even if we have sunscreen we probably should get out of the sun for a while.”

“Yes. I remember when Dean got sunstroke. He threw up on Sam’s shoes and fell down.”

Connor laughed. “Well unfortunately there’s probably not going to be pollinators at the creek. But there will be frogs and minnows and water bugs. More plants for you to identify, if you know them.”

Jack was smiling again, he was always so happy. His joy shone outwards and Connor basked in it as easily as he did the sun. His curiosity was infectious. Connor adored his love of bees and his flower crowns. 

Connor held Jack’s hand tight as they climbed down into the creek. He was careful only because he didn’t want Jack to slip in the mud. Never mind if he reveled in the feeling of their sweaty hands pressed together. 

The creek was just as Connor remembered. It had a few coke cans stuck in the mud along the banks. But the water was clean enough. Stones were worn smooth and covered in moss. Minnows caught the sun in their sudden movements. Water babbled over the stones that lined the bottom. Frogs sang in the cat tails. 

Jack dipped his hands into the water, pulling his cups hands out to let it spill through his fingers. It glittered and splashed into the stream.

“What’s there to do here?”

Connor didn’t know. If they had a net they could attempt to catch minnows and frogs for sport. But Jack probably wouldn’t like bothering the animals anyway. He played here a lot as a child. But they were young adults. 

“We could take off our shoes and walk in the water.”

Jack was already pulling off his boots. The same cowboy boots Dean had given him a month earlier. He’d proudly worn them ever since. Connor just wore the same hiking boots he’d gotten three years ago. He wore them to work, school, and on hunts. He put his socks in the shoes and left them on the shore. 

The water was cold, but that was a blessing in the summer heat. The rocks at the bottom were slippery with plant matter, Connor reached out to steady Jack so he wouldn’t fall. But Jack seemed perfectly stable, more so than Connor actually. Connor silently wondered if it was a Nephilim thing. Was he capable of falling down? He grabbed his arms anyway. Minnows swam over their feet as they began to walk. 

Jack was still steady even as they began to talk. He probably could have walked at a normal pace, but he lagged behind with Connor. “So what are we getting out of this experience?” He asked. 

“I used to walk in the creek a lot as a kid. It felt magical. The water ran over your feet and you’d hike up your pants and find bottle caps hidden in the mud like treasure. I don’t know. Maybe it’s different now. But I really liked those memories. I guess. I guess I just wanted to make ones with you.”

Jack seemed to like that answer. “Well, we should find treasure then. How do you find treasure?”

“It’s not really treasure. It’s just garbage at the bottom of the creek. But when you’re a kid and you dig a shiny thing out of the water you feel like it’s something special.” Connor rolled his jeans up his calves. “Your ass is probably gonna get wet. But you just...”

He hunched down, crouched above the water, sitting back in his haunches so that he could reach into the sand that lined the bottom. Dipping his fingers into the mud, he searched for an object hidden on the bottom. Jack followed his lead. Digging about in a separate patch of earth, where he turned rocks over and dug in the mud underneath. 

Connor pulled out a smaller rock. Smoothed by the current. He let the soil get washed off by the flowing water so he could examine in. It was a red stone, smoothed by the sand and flow of water. It wasn’t much, but Jack seemed to like it. 

“It’s pretty.” Jack said earnestly. “It’s a treasure in its own way.”

“It is a nice rock. Don’t know what it is, though.” Connor didn’t know a lot about rocks. Probably some semi-precious stone that had tumbled into the stream long ago. He tucked the stone into his pocket. 

“I found a nickel!” Jack announced proudly. 

Connor examined the coin. He whistled appreciatively. “That’s not any old nickel. That’s a nickel from ‘43. That’s probably actually worth something.”

“Oh.” Jack said. “You can have it!”

“No, no. It’s your treasure. Keep it to remember me by if it means that much to you.” Connor closed Jack’s fingers back over the offered coin. 

“Hmmm. Okay!” He turned the coin over in his hand. “Like the Pokémon card.”

Connor smiled. “Yeah. Like the Pokémon card.” He couldn’t begin to tell Jack how much he treasured that thing. He’d pinned it to his bedroom mirror with tape. Every time he looked at it he thought of his friend. It was one of the only personal touches to his practical, minimal room. He hoped to one day have an actual picture to remember Jack by. 

“I can’t wait to show my dads.” Jack put the coin in the front pocket of his shirt. 

“Yeah, how did that go? Asking them to hang out.”

Jack hummed. “Dean wanted me to bring a gun.” That didn’t surprise Connor in the slightest. Hunters were like that. “Castiel said that Dean was being ridiculous. Sam wanted me to bring a jacket. They let me go.”

“I’m glad they did.” Connor said as he pulled a piece of sea glass out of the water. The light blue matches Jack’s eyes perfectly. Connor put the piece in his pocket. 

“Dean said there’s a fair in September.”

Connor nodded. “Yeah, the county fair. It’s like, two towns over.”

“I’ve never been to a fair.”

The question was said with an almost false air of insouciance. Connor paused. Was Jack being  _ coy _ ? He looked up at his friend casually. 

Jack was blushing!

Connor grinned. “Yeah, sure. Cotton candy, cows, carnival rides. Sounds great. We’ll make a day of it.”

Jack smiled, all of his shyness melted away. “I’d love to!”

Another day with Jack. Connor wouldn’t pass it up for the world. 

“Is that the devil?” Jack asked quietly. 

Connor waded through the shallow water to get a look at the new treasure Jack had dug out of the water. It was a bottle cap. One for some kind of beer if Connor was to guess by the image. Some of the yellow paint had been scraped away by the current. But the bold red figure of Satan holding a glass of beer was clear as ever. He had a mischievous smirk on his face. Connor recognized the image from one of the beer brands they stocked at the corner store. 

“Yeah. Sure is.”

Jack was silent. An uncomfortable silence. Connor watched the unreadable expression on his face until Jack finally spoke. 

“Lucifer doesn’t look like that.” He said quietly. 

Oh. 

It was personal. 

Connor plucked the bottle cap from his friend’s hand and threw it back into the creek. 

“Yeah. Bet he’s a dickhead anyways.”

Jack nodded. 

“Hey, look at this.” Connor showed Jack a small fossil he’d found in the water. A tiny lizard, from the looks of it. “Cool, right?”

Jack was instantly distracted by the little imprint. Connor was glad it was so easy to do so. They spent hours down by the creek. Pulling coins and rocks and shiny litter out of the water to fill their pockets with. Flowers fell from Connor’s hair and floated away on the stream. Jack told Connor about the flowering plants that lined the banks and the bugs that skimmed the surface of the water. He was often distracted by dragonflies. But Connor wasn’t frustrated by his absentmindedness. Their pants were soaked from the water, and as the sun started to set and the temperature cooled Connor found that a nuisance rather than a blessing. 

“God, it’s freezing.” Connor grit out through chattering teeth while his shaking hands struggled to pull his socks onto his feet. 

Jack simply dried his pants with the touch of a finger. Which shocked Connor out of his chattering. 

“Is that an appropriate use of angel magic?”

Jack laughed. “I don’t know. I’m not really an angel.”

Not really a human either. Just a boy. A perfect boy. 

When their boots were back on their feet they climbed out of the creek, back into the field where they sat on the hood of Connor’s car to watch the sun set. 

Sunsets on the prairie were beautiful. Nothing distracted from them. There were no trees or mountains to block the view. Just endless sky and crimson light that shone over the tall grass. Jack leaned against his friend while the sun disappeared into the distance. Connor pressed his face into Jack’s hair with a content sigh. 

The car, turned on accessory, so the engine was silent, played quiet music on the radio. Perfect background to watch the stars to. Connor didn’t know anything about constellations. Nor did Jack. But just like sunsets, prairies were perfect for stargazing. 

“Oh!” Jack said suddenly. “I love this song!”

Connor startled. He was barely even listening to the station. It was classic rock. Jack had tuned it in hours earlier. Dean’s favorite station. Connor recognized the song as Layla by Dereck and the Dominos. 

“Come on, dance with me!” 

“Woah!” Connor protested weakly. Nevertheless he allowed Jack to pull him off the hood of the car and into his arms. 

Jack’s idea of dancing was very informal. It was a lot of bouncing and shoulder movements and holding hands. If Connor was being honest, Jack wasn’t very good at dancing. But his awkward movements were both charming and perfectly in line with his personality. 

Connor laughed. “Okay, okay. Come here.” He pulled his partner in by the waist. “Here. This is a very simple move. I’m going to spin you out, then back into my arms.”

He opened his arms, allowing Jack to spin out, his arms wide open until their hands tugged at their full length. Then Connor pulled Jack right back in, using all his previous momentum to bring him spinning back. Jack handed pretty hard against him, sending Connor stumbling back. But Jack was giggling happily. “Spin me again!”

“Okay. This time I’m going to raise my arm and you’re going to spin in place, go!”

Jack learned quickly. Connor and Jack trampled the grass underfoot to the guitar and enthusiastic vocals of the song, right up until it transferred into the piano solo. Then their dancing was more intimate and slow. With less spinning and more hugging. It suddenly occurred to Connor that he got his wish. He got to go dancing with Jack. It wasn’t prom. But Connor thought he might prefer the starry field to the crowded dance floor. 

“SHIT!”

Jack jumped in his arms. “What?” 

“I should have had you home before sunset! Come on, we have to go before Dean tracks me down with a gun.”

Jack frowned. But he agreed to leave anyway. Connor shoved the picnic blanket back into the car, turned the engine on, buckled the two of them in, and took off speeding down the road. 

When Connor got back to the bunker Sam was waiting outside, looking worried and impatient. He sighed, frustrated. “Thank god. Dean’s climbing the walls.”

“SAM! Did that punk bring my kid back?!”

Dean poked his head out, his eyes darkened when he saw Jack waving from Connor’s car. Castiel was behind him. He gave his husband a stern look.

“Dean. They’re a little late. Be reasonable. Put down your crossbow.”

“A little late?! Two hours is a little late?!”

“You were a kid once too.” This platitude didn’t seem to make Dean any happier. “They were just ‘hanging out.’”

“Get inside, Jack.” Sam said. “It was good to see you, Connor. I hope you had a good time.”

“Yeah, it was great. Thanks for letting me see him, sir.”

Sam nodded. Castiel still wasn’t happy.

“Dean. You have to make nice with Connor. Don’t come back in until you do.”

Dean scoffed, but he didn’t argue. Connor got out of the car and waited until they were alone. 

There was a long silence after the door closed behind Castiel and Sam. Connor stayed silent. Nothing he said would help. If they were going to move forward, the effort would have to come from Dean.

Not that emotional effort came to dean easily. Dean kicked the rocks beneath his boots. “Don’t take it personally.” He finally said. “It’s not about you. It’s about Jack. Jack is my kid. And I’ve met enough hunters to know they’re not the kind of people I want around my son.”

Connor didn’t comment on that hypocrisy. It was a hunter thing. Hunters didn’t get along. They were all bitter, solitary alcoholics who hated each other almost as much as the things they hunted. 

“I just want better for him. Than this life.” Dean admitted painfully. “This life. It sucks. I’ve been to hell and back. Literally. Many times. Jack is such a good kid. I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you.”

“I know.” Connor sighed. “I know. I wouldn’t want this for Jack either. He couldn’t be a hunter. He’s too soft for it. He’s still a kid. And he should be allowed to be a kid.” He paused. Did he really want to say it? “Which is why he should also be allowed to make his own friends. And his own mistakes.”

“Are you a mistake?” Dean shot back easily. 

“I’ll try not to be.” Connor promised. “I like Jack a lot more than however much he likes me.”

“I doubt it.” Dean sighed. “I just... I don’t want to drive a wedge between me and him. But I also don’t want to hand him over to you.”

“I think a lot of dads feel that way, sir.” Connor said. “For whatever it’s worth, I think you’re a pretty good dad.”

Dean didn’t say anything. He didn’t smile, but he didn’t look so pissed off either. 

“Whatever.” Dean grumbled. “I’ll tell Cas we made peace. Don’t think this means I like you now.”

Connor grinned. “I wouldn’t dream of it, sir.”

That was the first thing that got a begrudging smirk out of Dean. The older man turned heel and disappeared into the bunker. 

Connor breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t much, but Connor thought he might have the beginning of an understanding with Dean. 

* * *

It had been another night shift at the corner store. Some kid had thrown up in the snack aisle, a rancid concoction that looked to be made up of mostly skittles and sprite. No wonder he’d puked. He was mopping up the mess when he ran into a pair of sleek business shoes. Connor looked up and came face to face with the sternest tax accountant he’d ever seen in his life. He was looking at the selection of snacks like they’d personally offended him. 

“Excuse me, sir. Can I help you?” Connor said. 

“Do you serve pie at this corner store?” The man asked.

Connor blinked. There was something startlingly familiar about this man. “No... we don’t serve pie here. This is a corner store.”

The man looked disturbed. The way he held himself was stiff and inhuman. His eyes seemed older than his body, the same striking blue that Connor thought about all day. 

He finally placed his association with the man. “You’re Jack’s dad aren’t you? One of them.”

The man nodded. 

“It figures. You both have the same  _ I don’t know what I’m doing here _ look in your eyes. You must be Cas, then. Where are my manners? I’m Connor, it’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. I think I met your brother or your husband? I’m not really sure which.”

Castiel cautiously took the offered hand and shook it. “Yes. Jack has mentioned you many times before. I understand Dean threatened you. I apologize for his behavior.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all sir. I’m happy that he has fathers who care about him so much. You two are very different.” Connor gestured to the snack shelf. “We don’t have pie. But you can take the Drake’s fruit pies. That’s what Jack did, though I didn’t think they’d satisfy him.”

“No, Dean was not happy when Jack did that.” Castiel confirmed. “Forgive Jack, he is a bit naive.”

“It’s okay. He’s cute.” Connor realized what he said only moments later. Flushed and gripped his broom, going back to cleaning the floor. 

Castiel appraised Connor. His blue eyes, though similar to Jack’s in color, were far more intense. Less friendly. Not aggressive, necessarily, just lacking the sweet sunshine that beamed from Jack’s face at all times. 

“You are a good and honest young man.” Castiel decided. “I am glad that my son is making friends of such quality.”

Connor breathed a sigh of relief. At least  one of Jack’s dads liked him. “Thank you, sir.”

“Dean will not be happy about your hair. But Jack seems to think it is an admirable trait. It’s the first thing he mentioned about you.”

Connor felt himself blushing again. Castiel was pretty straightforward. Jack liked his hair? He fiddled with the curls. 

He decided to change the subject. “Well, there’s no pie. Is there anything else Dean might like?”

Castiel considered. “Jerky?” He said the word like it was completely foreign to him. 

Jerky he could work with. Dean seemed like a jerky guy. He put the mop back in the bucket and went to grab a handful of slim jims. He gave them to Castiel, who took them with a tilted head. He really was a lot like Jack in some ways. 

“Is there anything else you need, sir?”

“No. This will be all.” 

Castiel left without paying. Connor didn’t say a word. Nobody gave a shit about this store anyway. 

—

Jack came in regularly. He always picked up a couple of cases of beer. Connor was seriously concerned about the Winchester drinking habit. But he stayed longer and longer periods of time. He would sit on the counter and watch Connor sweep and tell him about Sam and Dean’s hunting adventures. He would listen to Connor talk about fishing and games he liked to play. They would talk until the sun rose sometimes. Until Connor’s shift was over and Julia came in to take over the morning shift. Then Jack would hop in his rusty 1992 Saturn and Connor would drive him home while they listened to country radio. Jack’s hair looked like a halo in the early morning sun, and he’d look out the window at the rolling wheat fields and be content. He was the best friend Connor had ever had. 

He was Connor’s first love. 

Connor rolled up to the entrance of the bunker, letting his car idle while he waited for Jack to get out of the car. But Jack just sat there, looking at Connor while the sky changed from crimson to blue. 

“What?”

Jack seemed to consider his next words carefully. “What does it feel like to be in love?”

Connor’s heart startled in his chest. “What kind of love do you mean?”

“Romantic love.” Jack said. “Sexual love!”

Hearing the word “sexual” out of Jack’s mouth nearly gave Connor a heart attack. “Well... I think it’s different for everyone. But you care about them. You want to spend time with them. It feels like... noticing little things about them. The subtle shades of their eyes and the way their hair looks in the sunlight. It’s how easy it is to talk to them. You’re intensely attracted to them but also you just... I guess...” Connor made a noise of frustration. This was hard to explain. “You’d do anything. For them to be happy.”

Jack nodded. 

“I’m in love with you.”

The car honked as Connor jumped in his seat. 

“Wha-wh- wait. Woah. Back up.” Connor said. “That’s... no. You can’t be.”

“Why not? I’m attracted to you, we are great friends, I find you easy to talk to. We are everything you say love is.”

“Well, it’s more complicated than that.”

“Human emotions aren’t as complicated as they make it out to be.” Jack said sagely. “I am attracted to you, I worry about your safety, I think about kissing you.”

Connor’s brain short circuited at the mention of kissing. “That’s the second time you’ve said you’re attracted to me.”

“It’s true.” Jack said unapologetically. “May I kiss you?”

Oh. Connor had thought about kissing Jack all summer but now that Jack was actually asking for it it felt like everything was going so fast. Jack made it sound so  _ simple _ . He wanted to. Jack’s blue eyes were beautiful up close and his lips were right there in reach. Even closer now that he’d asked. Jack had leaned into Connor’s space in anticipation. 

Well, Connor wasn’t one to pass up on life’s opportunities. 

So he cupped Jack’s face in his hands, gentle and assuring, and captured those pretty lips in their first kiss. 

Giddy energy filled him like a balloon swelling in his chest. Jack’s breaths were warm against his face, his lips soft as a petal, their lips slot together with ease. Connor’s nostrils flare when Jack sighs into his mouth. 

They fall into the motions easily. Their kiss is chaste, but there’s a heat there. Connor’s nerves tingle where their skin brushes. His thumb strokes absentmindedly over Jack’s cheek. He’s just as soft as he looks. 

Jack’s mouth falls open. Then they’re  _ really _ kissing. It’s a little swipe of tongue at the part of Jack’s lips and then Jack is scrunching Connor’s long hair in his hands. Jack runs his hands through Connor’s hair like he’d been waiting a lifetime to do it. Their lips make wets smacks as they part for air. Quick gasps before they melt back into each other. 

Jack lets go of his hair and curls his hands into Connor’s jacket and hauls him closer with all the hidden strength of a Nephilim, breathing hard into Connor’s mouth, things are escalating and Connor isn’t about to stop them. His hands trail down Jack’s neck past his shoulders to his waist and—

Someone knocks on the window. Connor knocks heads with Jack violently. Connor clutches his forehead and curses. Jack shows no reaction to the collision, instead turning to manually roll down the window. 

Sam stands awkwardly outside the car, his enormous body hunched down to make eye contact with them. 

“Hey. You better, ah, come inside. If Dean sees you doing that I think he’ll kill your... friend on the hood of his car.”

“Okay.” Jack says cheerfully. “I’ll see you around Connor!”

“Yeah, see you.” Connor hissed painfully. Jack kissed his forehead, melting the pain away with his angel magic. With one last dazzling smile he followed his dad inside. Sam looked back, waved awkwardly, and shut the door. 

Connor sat there for who knows how long trying to capture the fading heat on his lips and steady the wild beat of his heart. When his hands finally stopped shaking he drove away down the gravel road with a dumb grin on his face. 

He’d be looking forward to his shift at the corner store tonight. 


End file.
